Tafsir and Islamic Intellectual History: Exploring the Boundaries of a Genre (Qur'anic Studies Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 019870206X ISBN 13: 9780198702061

Publisher: OUP in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies, 2015

Synopsis

How and when did Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir) emerge as a literary genre of its own? To what extent was it influenced by other disciplines, such as law, theology, or philosophy? How did different political or theological agendas shape works of tafsir, and in what ways did the genre develop over time and in different regions? These are some of the major questions which this book seeks to address.

This book constitutes the first comprehensive attempt at describing the genre of Qur'anic exegesis in its broader intellectual context. Its aim is to provide a framework for understanding the boundaries of tafsir and its interaction with other disciplines of learning, as well as the subgenres and internal divisions within the genre. It discusses the emergence of the genre in the beginnings of Islamic history and the changes and potential ruptures it has experienced in later times, the role of hadith, law, language, philosophy, theology, and political ideology for the interpretive process, the regional dimension, the influx of modernist ideas and the process of writing tafsir in languages other than Arabic.

Among the fifteen authors who have contributed to the volume are leading scholars in the field as well as young researchers, which makes for a unique and fresh perspective on a field that has long been reduced to its instrumental value for understanding the Qur'an. Covering the time from the formation of Qur'anic exegesis until the present, it is a valuable resource for advanced students and scholars in the field.

About this title

About the Author

Andreas Grke is Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Edinburgh. He earned his Dr. phil. from the University of Hamburg in 2001 and his Habilitation from the University of Basel in 2010. He has worked as lecturer and researcher at the Universities of Hamburg and Basel, the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB), Freie Universitat Berlin, and the University of Kiel, and served as acting professor for early and classical Islam at the University of Hamburg. His research interests include early Islamic history and historiography, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, Koran and Koranic exegesis, Hadith, Islamic law, the transmission of Arabic manuscripts, Islam in its late antique environment and the impact of modernity on Muslim thought.

Johanna Pink is Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Freiburg, Germany. She obtained her doctorate from the University of Bonn in 2002 and has since worked as a lecturer, researcher and visiting professor at both the University of Tubingen and the Freie Universitat Berlin. Her research interests include Muslim exegesis and translation of the Qur'an, the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims, and contemporary developments in Islamic law and thought. She has published books and articles on contemporary Sunni tafs=ir, the status of non-Muslim minorities in Egypt, Muslim mass consumption and internet use, and various modern theological and legal debates.

Review

"[T]his edited volume is very valuable. ... it contains important contributions of a high standard that pave the way for future research in the field. Moreover, it poses the right questions on the nature of the genre and the nalytical tools needed to study it." -- Pieter Coppens, Journal of Qur'anic Studies

"As a whole, the articles offer an interesting insight into the various ways to approach the genre of tafsir as an autonomous genre of Islamic literature...On this excellent basis, further research is to be highly anticipated."--Die Welt des Islams

"This volume is an enormous contribution in that it is a coherent and cohesive attempt at identifying the boundaries of this important genre of Islamic literature. Those seeking a holistic response to the question of what exactly constitutes tafsir should prepare themselves to find unexpected answers in unusual places."--Religious Studies Review

"This edited volume promises to become a reference work the moment it is published. The scope of the collection is simply outstanding and the selection of articles covers essential aspects of tafsir that are usually neglected... The scholarship is of the highest standard, and the breadth is unprecedented in publications of its kind." --Walid A. Saleh, Distinguished Professor for Islamic Studies, University of Toronto

"This research is not available elsewhere and provides insights into areas of Qur'an commentary that are integral to Islamic Studies and to the continued research into the Qur'an... The contributors are strong, of relevance to the field, and provide intellectually stimulating arguments." --Brannon Wheeler, Professor of History, United States Naval Academy

Edition details

• Publisher: OUP in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 019870206X
• ISBN 13: 9780198702061
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576
• Editor: Görke Andreas, Pink Johanna